The Green Knight: Activation
by Druchek
Summary: Imagine the world of Arthurian Legend having futuristic technology and weaponry. I've taken a great deal of liberty with the tales surrounding Sir Gawain, the Green Knight, and re-imagined it in this light. This is a mostly original composition, with technological inspiration taken from WH40K and Megaman. Please bear in mind this is a work in progress, and may change over time.
1. Chapter 1

ACTIVATION 1

The Green Knight: Activation

Thomas A. Druschke and Christopher C. Sams

Prologue

"Sire! They've breached the inner wall!"

The cry came from a page manning a surveillance screen.

Arthur Pendragon, King of the Britons, rose slowly from his throne in the citadel of Castle Camelot and approached the screen.

The Separatists had only been a mild nuisance up to this point, but suddenly became a major threat to the kingdom. They now had weapons matching the capability of his finest soldiers. The Knights of the Round, his elite guard and indeed finest generals, were having problems dispatching these newly empowered foes.

In deep contemplation he stood, looking around the room. He imagined losing his wife, Guinevere, and his daughter, Leliana.

His decision was made.

The Green Knight: Activation

Chapter I

"Activate Project Lodestone!" Arthur bellowed.

Ancient machines that had lain dormant for many years suddenly sprang to life as if they had last been booted yesterday. A long-forgotten AI whirred to life, and a flickering image of a venerable old man manifested before them.

"I am Merlin, the omnipresent, the all-knowing! What brings you to activate these old circuits, Arthur Pendragon?" the image stated.

"Merlin! I require access to Lodestone; the kingdom is in great peril. These Separatists have come into possession of new technology they've programmed into their infantry's mechanical armor! The Citadel could be breached at any moment!"

"Fear not, old friend," Merlin calmly relayed, "your kingdom will yet be saved."  
"How?" asked the king.

"Gawain." said Merlin.

"The Green Knight? How are we to know if that will even work? It's never been activated!" said Arthur.

"Still and insolent little boy at heart, I see! Have you forgotten _everything_ I've taught you? I designed the him! Of course, he will work!" Merlin bellowed.

"My apologies, my wise mentor. I did not realize Gawain was one of your designs."  
"He's part of Project Lodestone, I designed the whole damn thing, you young snippet!"

The image paused momentarily, as if Merlin was collecting his thoughts, before speaking again.

"Anyways, as I was saying. We need to activate the Green Knight."

"How are we to do that, Merlin?" the king asked.

"It is fairly simple, really. Do you see that slot over there, in the middle of that old pylon?"

"Yes…" the king trailed off, walking towards it.

"Simply grasp Excalibur and insert it, blade first, into the opening. The rest will take care of itself."

Arthur approached the pylon with much apprehension and trepidation, unsure of the events to follow. His memory drifted back to his childhood as a pupil of Merlin; remembering in particular his former teacher's propensity for causing things to explode.

Once he reached the pedestal, a voice emanated from it as he inserted Excalibur into the slot.

"DNA sample required to confirm Pendragon lineage."

The message repeated several times.

"What does it mean, Merlin?" asked Arthur, puzzled at the machine's request.

"It means it needs a sample of your blood to prove who you are. It's a failsafe I built into Project Lodestone and Codename: Gawain to ensure that none but yourself or a direct descendant of yours could activate these systems. They're too powerful and dangerous to allow just anybody to have access to it."

Arthur nodded and removed one of his gauntlets. He ran his thumb across the blade, cutting it open to let the blood flow freely. The pommel stone glowed red once the blade was fully inserted in the pedestal. The king instinctively pressed his bleeding thumb to it, feeling a little silly.

A chain reaction of pneumatic hisses sounded off in the previously silent chamber, followed by the disembodied mechanical female voice again.

"Lineage confirmed. Arthur Pendragon, son of Uther Pendragon, of the Pendragon Bloodline."

The floor around the pedestal began to sink, forming a stone spiral staircase descending into blackness. Arthur cautiously set foot on the first stair. Floodlights sprang to life with each echoing step of his boots as he crept warily into the unfamiliar room below the Citadel.

When he reached the bottom, a series of small, pale green lights hummed to life, illuminating a narrow walkway leading up to a massive figure cloaked in shadows. From what could be seen, the figure appeared seated and motionless.

Fear gripped at Arthur's heart as he slowly approached the immobile figure. He jumped when another digital representation of Merlin appeared.

"Getting a little skittish in our old age, are we, Arthur?"

"You startled me, is all, Merlin. This place is unfamiliar to me. I thought I had seen every room there was in Camelot."

"There is much you don't know about Camelot, Arthur. But you will come to know them."

"When, Merlin?" breathed the exasperated king.

"In due time, my boy, in due time."

They reached the base of the plinth the figure was seated on. The figure appeared to be a man, yet not a man. A monstrous web of wires and cables from untraceable origins extended from the rearmost depths of the chamber, terminating in hundreds of leads into the seated being.

"What is it?" Arthur questioned.

"Not an _it_ , but a _he,_ you judgmental fool!" bellowed Merlin, "This is Gawain, the Green Knight, the one who will save your kingdom and preserve your bloodline."

Unbeknownst to Arthur, young Princess Leliana had snuck down the staircase behind her father, curious to know what wonders this hidden chamber might hold. She watched in awe as her father conversed with the ghostly apparition. The floodlights slowly illuminated the gigantic figure before them. She stifled a small gasp as low-powered fluorescent lights flickered to reveal the features of what appeared to be a giant of a man, in obviously very heavy armor. A helmet she could almost use as a small end table, pauldrons bigger than the heads of three grown men, a breastplate nearly half a meter thick, ending in boots and greaves that were collectively as tall as her chest!

The giant's strange, hollow eyes seemed dead and lifeless; his chest not rising or falling as if taking breath either. She sneaked in closer, creeping as quietly as she could muster, quickly as she dared, hoping not to catch either her father's or Merlin's eye.

Then, as the last light hummed its way to life, she saw it. The sword. It was a monstrous thing with a menacing beauty about it. Nearly twice as long as she was tall, so massive she thought anyone capable of wielding such a weapon would be able to cleave a castle in two!

She stifled yet another gasp, not wanting to be found out until she heard who this mysterious Gawain was; and why had he been down here all this time; and why did no one seem to know about him?

She continued to listen.

Merlin stood silent as Arthur examined the hulking mechanical figure. He knew Leliana was here, his sensors had picked up her presence the moment she started down the stairs through the targeting system of the 30mm automated cannon tucked behind a false wall not even the king had knowledge of. Merlin appeared to breathe a sigh of relief in his digital form. Had anyone but a member of the Pendragon bloodline come down those stairs, there would be naught but a mess of red paste to clean up afterwards.

"Merlin?" asked Arthur.

"Yes?"

"This question may seem a bit silly, but how do we activate him?"

"Well, Arthur, _we_ don't do anything. You, on the other hand, must go to the terminal in front of Gawain, place your hand on the scanner and read the phrase posted above it for the voiceprint."

Arthur cautiously approached Gawain and the terminal, followed the instructions given by Merlin, and read aloud the phrase that was all too true.

"Gawain! The hour is at hand where you must protect your king and kingdom! I accept your fealty and require your service! Activation: Commence!"


	2. Chapter 2

ACTIVATION 1

 **Chapter II**

The entire room sprang to life in an explosion of light as floods of power surged through the cables connected to Gawain, so much so was that the heat generated from the power flow made the cables glow bright orange and white.

Gawain's dead, mechanical eyes suddenly flashed with bright green intensity, running a full systems check and diagnostic in mere nanoseconds. He rose to his feet almost instantaneously, revealing just how tall he really was. He towered over Arthur, roughly half again as tall. The king was no slouch of a man by any means. Even at the age of fifty-four, he stood an imposing six feet three inches tall and still possessed a well-muscled frame. This put Gawain's stature at a monstrous nine feet tall!

Suddenly, what was once dull and lifeless became the shockingly handsome, strong-featured visage of a man with short, dark hair and eyes of a bright emerald green.

"Gawain online." Said the figure.

Arthur had expected a robotic, static filled vocalization for the figure. Instead, what issued forth from the machine's mouth was astonishingly…human! Arthur stepped aside and motioned for Merlin to follow.

Once they were a short distance away from Gawain, who stood stock-still awaiting his orders, the king turned to his ancient friend and asked,  
"Why does he sound like a man?"  
"Isn't it obvious?" Merlin questioned as he glared and continued, "That's because in many ways, he _is_ a man. You see, many years ago, during your war against Morgan Le Fay, there was one battle you very nearly lost. Do you remember it?"

Arthur nodded his assent and Merlin began his tale.

During this battle Sir Ector was grievously wounded and was chased by Le Fay's warriors to a farmhouse. A young man named Gawain resided there. Ector crashed through the door, bleeding everywhere, with the warriors hot on his trail. He ordered Gawain to flee as far and as fast as he could. Gawain ignored Ector and took an old but well-kept longsword from behind the little stove near the back of the room and wordlessly walked outside. Sir Ector watched through a small window as the Le Fay warriors arrived and encircled the young man. Everything was quiet as they moved closer and closer.

As soon as the first was within range, Gawain rocketed forth, driving his blade into the thug with such force that it bodily lifted him off the ground! As Gawain withdrew the blade, a wretched sucking sound echoed as it was ripped from the dying man's torso. Wasting no time, he wheeled to face the rest of his attackers, now twenty strong with more reinforcements fast approaching.

"Just let us have Arthur's lackey, boy! If'n you do, we'll consider lettin' you live!" snarled one of the Le Fay fighters.

"Not on your life, you foul-smelling pig! If I am to die today, I shall do it on my feet with your blood dripping from my blade!" Gawain shouted in reply.

"So be it. Kill 'im!" shouted the warrior.

Gawain threw himself headlong into his assailants, hell-bent on killing as many as he could.

From inside the farmhouse, Sir Ector managed to retrieve his emergency beacon from his pack. He activated and threw it into the empty stove to boost the signal. As he slumped to the ground, he looked out the window and dismayed as he saw Gawain begin to falter, sustaining injuries as his strength waned. Ector said a silent prayer for peace upon the young man's soul as he slipped out of consciousness, hoping help would arrive in time.

Outside, the battle raged on as Gawain went from man to man, the bodies piling up wherever he stood. He felt himself beginning to tire, and it wasn't long before a lucky opponent got in a slash to his upper chest. Gawain stumbled back, parrying blow after blow as he bled profusely from the wound. A thrust broke through his defense and gashed his side in his attempt to dodge.

He began to slow down and stumble a bit more, taking more and more cuts and slashes. The Le Fay warriors' leader stepped forward and savagely fought Gawain. Gawain parried and dodged, swung away and thrust, but it just wasn't enough.

The warrior deflected Gawain's final blow hard enough to disarm him. He then stepped forward and drove his sword deep into Gawain's stomach. As he laughed, Gawain stared defiantly into the leader's eyes and forced himself down the length of the blade, drew a small dagger from the small of his back and jammed it into the oaf's neck and drew it around, ripping through his throat. As the dying men watched each other from a hand-span away, Gawain lifted the bloody dagger to where the leader could see.

He muttered, "I told you…I would die…on my feet…your blood dripping…from my…blade…did I not?"

And with that statement, Gawain gurgled a blood-filled chuckle and slumped against the dead man's shoulder, blacking out in his final moments.

The marauders stood stunned at the spectacle before them. Their leader was dead now and they knew not what to do; so, they looted the bodies of their fallen comrades. As they were doing so, a detachment led by Sir Lancelot of the Knights of the Round Table, accompanied by Merlin, descended upon the farm. Whatever looters that weren't killed or captured fled into the foothills of the nearby mountains.

Lancelot stared at the two immobile, upright corpses and grabbed the nearest prisoner by the hair.

"What happened here?!" he demanded.

The marauder stared frightfully up at his captor and pointed a trembling hand at the body of Gawain.

"Th-th-the b-b-boy!" he stammered, "H-he wouldn't let us take the wounded kn-n-night prisoner! S-s-s-so we attacked…"

"Who was helping him?" Lancelot asked.

"N-n-n-n-no one! He did this all on his own! Even killed Commander Sikes after Sikes ran the boy through! Pulled a lil' knife out and tore poor Sike-sy's throat out, he did! I never seen s'much blood from a neck before…" the man trailed off, clearly traumatized from having witnessed such ferocity.

Merlin went towards the door of the farmhouse and ordered three men inside to search for survivors and then made his way towards the gruesome bloody statue that was Gawain and his final master-stroke. He stood there a moment, pondering.

"What are you thinking about, wizard?" Lancelot inquired.

"You mean aside from how much of a prick you are, Lancy?" Merlin quipped.

"What?!"

"Nevermind, Lancy. I am wondering what would possess a young man such as this to defend Sir Ector? Why not just give him up to them? Or help him escape? Why fight, especially knowing that his death was inevitable?"

At that precise moment, Merlin felt it. A flicker of life from the young man!

"By the gods! This young lad's not dead!" Merlin exclaimed. "You two! Help me remove this hero from this blade, get him wrapped in a blanket and transport him back to my lab!"

The two pages stood dumbfounded.

"Well don't just stand there! Be quick about it!" the wizard shouted.

The pages snapped out of their collective stupor and did as they were told.

As King Arthur listened to this tale, astounded, he had to ask the question that was burning in his mind.

"So why did you turn him into…this thing? Why not just have him nursed back to health and train him up further?"

Merlin looked at Arthur, considering the question. The pair stood locked in a pregnant silence while the old wizard pondered. After a few seconds, which seemed an eternity, Merlin sighed as if annoyed at a small child, and began to speak.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter III**

As she crested the final landing, Leliana saw something astounding. She saw Queen Guinevere, her mother, with a sword in each hand slicing through Separatists left, right, and center like they were so much tissue paper.

What the young maiden didn't know about her mother was that before the times of peace she was born into, Guinevere led the fearsome Battle Maidens. The Battle Maidens were an elite group of terrifying female warriors that served King Arthur and Camelot during the tumultuous war-torn times of Morgan Le Fay, Arthur's half-sister. She hated Arthur for growing up with their father, Uther Pendragon, while she, conceived outside the bonds of marriage, grew up poor and starving with her whore mother.

Leliana gasped at the gaping hole in the wall of the citadel, through which a seemingly endless flood of enemy soldiers poured through. She shrieked in horror as one of the attending squires who served as her temporary guardian was cut down with a single slice of an enemy blade. The soldier then descended upon her.

She felt sure she was going to die, but the vicious brute grabbed her roughly and slapped a hand to his chest. Great metal wings sprang from a pack on his back. He aimed the strange device up at the ceiling and he must have activated it, because a deafening roar filled the chamber and the ceiling shattered.

Leliana screamed as another roar replaced the first and the ground disappeared from beneath her feet! As the wind rushed past her face, she tentatively opened her eyes and realized they were flying!

Back on the ground, Guinevere looked just in time to see the soldier grab her precious daughter and take off. She was powerless to help her for there were so many enemies between them.

"Arthur! They've taken Leliana! They've taken her!"

Deep in the chamber beneath the citadel, Arthur blanched visibly as those world-shattering words came through his earpiece. Never had he heard his beloved wife lose her composure; even in childbirth, she had been stoically silent.

Suddenly he sprang back to the present, Merlin shouting at him, "Arthur! Send Gawain to save your daughter! It's the only way to reach her in time!"

The king whirled to face Gawain, "Gawain, save Leliana! Save my daughter no matter the cost!"

The colossal amalgamation of man and machine did not hesitate for even a nanosecond. The repulsors in his boots activated with only a thought and he burst through the roof of the chamber, shattering the floor above them!

As soon as he was airborne out of the castle, the Green Knight activated his optical scanners, searching for his liege's child. His audio scans picked up first, filtering her screams to put her down. The faintest hint of a grin flashed on his face as he drew the giant bastard sword from his back and the face-shield slammed into place.

The massive figure rocketed through squadron after squadron of enemy flying troops, cutting them down as if they were nothing. To him, they were less than nothing. How dare they kidnap a young woman such as Leliana, even if she is the daughter of the king? Swatting them down like insects, he continued his unstoppable path of destruction to save the princess. The girl's captor wheeled around because of the screams and death shrieks of his comrades. He saw the gargantuan figure slaughtering his men, and in that moment, he was terrified beyond all reason. The Separatist soldier dove from the sky onto a hillock filled with highly experienced, veteran fighters for the cause. He hoped this might deter the mammoth man; or at least get him killed.

Gawain followed his target's flight path and landed on the hilltop, right in front of the regiment of garrisoned troops. The enemy fighters slowly came out from cover, emboldened by the fact that it was only one man, even if that man was roughly the size of a barn door. They formed a semi-circle around him, believing this to be an easy victory. Gawain activated his heads-up display and painted all his targets. Within half a second the autocannons mounted under his pauldrons popped out, calibrated for the firing solutions, and fired, eliminating the entire regiment with a single volley of accurate gunfire.

Leliana's captor was lucky. The 20mm cannon round hit him in the leg, severing it below the knee. The princess stood there, watching the wounded man scream in agony. Gawain approached with monstrous sword drawn, ready to finish the deed with ruthless efficiency. As he raised the weapon to deliver the killing blow, the princess leapt in front of him.  
"Stop! Stop! Please! Enough people have died!" she pleaded.

"I must insure your safety by any means necessary. Those are the orders of King Arthur." the mechanical warrior stated.

"I am safe, Gawain! This man is missing a leg! He cannot harm me!"

"Your argument is…validated. What shall I do with the prisoner, Mistress?"

"Um…help him. Bring him with us."

"That course of action is tactically advantageous. This subject may have useful intelligence about the enemies of this kingdom. He was trusted with the assignment of acquiring you, Princess. A task of this importance would only be ordered by the Separatists' commander."

Gawain routed heat sinking of his systems to his gauntlet until it glowed white-hot. He moved toward the soldier cum prisoner-of-war, his super-heated hand approaching the stump of the man's severed limb.

"What are you doing?!" shrieked Leliana.

"I must stop the bleeding before we travel or he will die. Cauterizing the wound will stop the flow of blood and prevent rot by sealing it off."

She turned away, stuffing her fingers in her ears hoping to muffle the man's cries of pain. When they suddenly stopped, she wheeled around expecting to see a half-charred corpse, but was surprised to see the man unconscious and breathing, with bright pink, blistering flesh in place of a blood spraying stump.

"What happened? Is he going to die now?"

"Negative, Mistress. He has passed out from the pain. This subject will live to face questioning, even stand trial, should your father wish it."

"Thank you, Gawain."

Gawain nodded, then picked up Leliana and the prisoner and set a course back to Camelot, making sure to avoid the battle raging beneath them. After a short flight, the Green Knight slowed and landed nimbly through the same hole in the citadel's roof that Leliana had been stolen away through by her former kidnapper. Queen Guinevere bolted from the arms of her husband and latched onto her daughter like a leech.

"Oh, my darling daughter, I thought I'd lost you! Oh, thank the gods!"

While all this was going on, Arthur walked up to where Gawain was standing.

"Thank you for saving my daughter. I don't know how the gods will react when I do what I'm about to do. I would have you kneel before me, Gawain."

Gawain took a knee and leaned over, Arthur's head barely reaching his shoulders. The king drew the mighty Excalibur. As the drawing of the famous blade rang out through the chamber, all eyes turned to face the pair. In the dead silence, King Arthur's voice bellowed.

"Gawain, for your service to your king, and your kingdom, you are being recognized. For rescuing my only child, Princess Leliana, I and my wife, Queen Guinevere, thank you with all our hearts. Finally, for your unwavering valor these many years ago, when you laid down your life to defend Sir Ector de Maris, for which you were never properly thanked or rewarded. For that, I am deeply sorry, which brings me to this. I now dub thee Sir Gawain! The Green Knight of Camelot!"

Cheers rang throughout the citadel. Some were confused at what had just transpired, having only just arrived. Sir Lancelot du Lac looked on without saying a word. After a moment, he sneered and left the hall to return to the battle still raging, the Separatists now pushed back beyond the outer wall.  
Gawain stood, newly knighted. Leliana ran up and hugged the giant man.

"Thank you, Sir Gawain. You are my new best friend. I want you to have this."

The princess reached up and pulled a green ribbon from her hair. It was just long enough to where she could tie it around his arm. Gawain stood back up and addressed the king.

"Your highness, at Princess Leliana's behest, I have captured and brought to you her captor. By your leave, I would release the prisoner into your custody and assist in the battle for Camelot. My system indicates with my assistance, the fighting will cease in approximately 8.2 minutes."

Arthur and the rest stood taken aback that a battle that had been raging for well over a week could be ended so quickly, especially by just one man.

"Yes, of course, Gawain. End this battle so that we might begin to bring this insurrection to a swift, and hopefully peaceful, close." the king ordered.

"Affirmative." Gawain acknowledged.

He lifted off, taking to the skies as swiftly as when he pursued Leliana to retrieve her. This time, the green warrior did not hesitate to raze the enemies of his homeland with extreme prejudice. Single sweeps of his humongous blade reduced siege towers to rubble as he flew by. Volleys of autocannon fire tore enemy infantry and cavalry to shreds. After he depleted his ammunition reserves, he angled for an aggressive landing in the middle of the Separatist forces. Rocketing straight up a few thousand feet, he then cut power to his repulsors and allowed gravity to do the rest. Six tons of solid metal plummeted toward the ground. At five hundred feet above the ground his descent broke the sound barrier. The Separatists all gazed at the sky, wondering why they were hearing thunder on a clear, cloudless day.

Then it hit them. More appropriately, _he_ hit them. When Gawain landed, the concussive force was tremendous! His impact caused a crater fifty feet across and twenty feet deep. Those that weren't killed by the initial impact were thrown so far and so hard that most were killed when they hit the ground, and the rest had their bodies broken so thoroughly that they would soon slip into shock and perish. The remaining forces soon began to flee and Gawain scanned the scattered masses of the broken horde. He soon found what he sought.

Amid the retreat, he picked up the colors and ranks of a man dressed in the garb of a commanding officer. Showing no quarter to those in his way, Gawain smashed through the retreating forces and grabbed the officer who began hacking at him with a sword. The Green Knight, with a flick of his finger, broke the man's sword arm and continued the flight back to Camelot after disabling his audio sensors to eliminate the prisoner's screams.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter IV**

As all this was going on, Lancelot and his army were pushing enemies back from the gates of Camelot, having routed them from within the castle walls. This small victory was crucial in the greater campaign in defeating the Separatists. As Lancelot and his men continued to push forward, they noticed the enemy greatly thinned the further away from the castle walls they got.

Before they even had the opportunity to wonder, they had their answer. Gawain was calmly walking forward through the enemy ranks, with the Separatist commander strapped to his back. Those enemy soldiers that weren't already fleeing were dispatched with ease by Gawain and the few human field officers amongst the destroyed drones that were still alive surrendered and threw down their weapons as Gawain lumbered by.

Seeing this, Lancelot muttered a curse under his breath, annoyed that it really hadn't been he that broke the Separatist siege. Until today it had always been him that held the line, him that had fought tooth and nail to help Camelot survive. Now, some big green freak was here, wiped out the enemy as if they weren't even there, undermining all that he had accomplished in just a few minutes.

"Greetings, Sir Lancelot," said Gawain, "is there anything more I can assist with?"

Lancelot stood there, contemplating whether there was a way to get him to self-destruct, eventually spoke through gritted teeth.

"No, that will be all. Go play somewhere else, and try not to break anything, you great lummox."

Gawain stood there, attempting to process why his fellow knight had just insulted him. After diverting a few subroutines to analyze it, he settled on Lancelot being a jealous glory-hound. He lifted off as loudly as possible in front of his horse, spooking it into a frenzy, causing it to throw Lancelot to the ground. The cadre of soldiers and knights around Lancelot laughed uproariously. Hearing this, Gawain allowed himself another small grin.

Lancelot swore loudly as he got up off the ground and silenced his squad with a menacing stare. Sir Ector dismounted and attempted to help him, but the seething knight jerked his hand away.

"I need no help from you, old man!" sneered Lancelot.

Ector threw up his hands at the remark and went back to his own steed, leaving him to his own devices. Lancelot collected himself, coifed his hair and straightened his cloak made of the finest sheepskin. He continued this preening for several moments before mounting his horse again. He then gave the order to return to the castle and the cadre of knights made their way back into Camelot and closed the gates.

Lancelot stayed at the front, quietly boiling in anger at the embarrassment he suffered at Gawain's hands. In his rage, he made a hasty decision of what to do next. He was sure this would put him back on top. All that was required of him now was to bide time.

Once airborne, Gawain transported his newly captured quarry to the dungeon of Camelot and deposited him next to the man who kidnapped the princess.

Once Gawain left, the commander went over and nudged his cellmate.

"Is that the reason you failed to capture the girl?" he asked.

"Yes, Commander Gorm. He killed everyone but me, and he would have, if the princess had not intervened."

"Well, Pike, I think it's safe to say we have a whole new set of problems with whatever the hell that…thing was. Our master will not be pleased."

"It's not like Mor-… "

Gorm kicked him in his bad leg to cut him off, making Pike howl in agony.

"What in the bloody hell did you go and do that for?!"

"Don't use his name! You never know who might be listening!"

"Well I ain't got nothing to lose, now do I? I'm dead anyway, so I might as well tell someone what I know. Like to see you try and stop me, with that busted arm of yours." Pike scoffed.

Upon hearing this, Gorm slammed his boot into Pike's head, rendering him unconscious. He then used his good hand to cover his underling's mouth and nose to suffocate him, silencing him for good. As soon as Pike's body stopped twitching, Gorm nudged him with his boot over into a far corner of the cell, concealing his death.

Arthur spent the next few minutes explaining some of what transpired down in the depths of the citadel with Merlin to Guinevere and Leliana. Merlin would interrupt occasionally, to correct the king of various things.

As all this occurred, Lancelot and the others arrived in the citadel command chamber and reported in.

"We've pushed the siege horde back beyond the main gate!" Lancelot declared, puffing out his chest as he did.

"Outstanding, Sir Lancelot! Thank you for clearing out the stragglers." The king said.

"Stragglers, sire? These were Separatist elites that breached the gates that we pushed back!"

"You did your duty admirably and should be commended, old friend. Sir Gawain broke their supply lines, command, and their fighting spirit while you took care of the street to street ground combat. You both gave exemplary performances. In fact, I would have you both sit by my side at the feast tomorrow night! My two finest warriors!"

At that moment, Gawain arrived, landing in the citadel via the hole in the roof. He took two monstrous strides across the chamber and stood before the king.

"Sire, I have captured the Separatist commander from the field and locked him in the dungeon with the other prisoner to await your questioning and justice." Gawain reported, standing at stiff attention.

Arthur and the others in the hall cheered at the news! Not only was the siege confirmed to be broken, but their leader was captured! Arthur wasted no time once he heard this news.

"We will go down and speak to this traitor at once!" the king exclaimed. "Gawain, you will accompany me to the dungeon and assist with the interrogation of the prisoner. Lancelot, I am trusting you with arranging the repairs to the citadel and fortifications. I would also like you to commission a carpenter and blacksmith to build two chairs sturdy enough for Sir Gawain to sit it; one on my right for the feast table, the other seated at the Round Table."

"But sire, wouldn't my services be of more use in the interrogation? I have always been the one by your side during such matters" Lancelot said, doing his best to conceal the whine in his voice.

"Nonsense, Lancelot! Gawain knows naught of affairs of state and construction; you do. The choice is clear. You would do well to remember who is king, Lancelot."

"My apologies, milord. I'll see to the preparations immediately."

With that, Lancelot turned on his heel and swept out of the citadel, barely disguising his lividity at how he'd been so callously swept aside by the king. He stomped out into the courtyard and yelled at one of his squires to arrange a meeting with a carpenter, a stonemason, and a blacksmith so that he might see to the menial tasks King Arthur had set for him. He sulked his way down to the training hall, sword drawn before the door even opened. Lancelot spent the next three hours hacking and slashing at training drones, destroying at least five in the process of venting his rage.

Afterwards, the vain knight went to his chambers, bathed, and went to his desk to draw up the proper contracts with the builders. A few minutes pass, and the squire returns with news from the builders requesting an audience with him the next morning. Lancelot accepted and sent the squire back out with copies of the contracts for them to consider.

Once that portion of his day was completed, he ordered that a meal and some mead be brought up. When it arrived, he dined and drank himself into a stupor and stumbled to his bed. Collapsing on the plush feather bed, he fell into a dreamless sleep until morning.

Arthur and Gawain made their way down to the castle dungeons.

"You know, Gawain, as of today, you must be a blessing from the gods on our people; your people as well! I believe you and I will achieve great things together. I'm considering making you a field general, as a further reward for your great service today. What say you, Sir Gawain?"

Gawain walked silently beside the king for some time, analyzing and extrapolating data, applying statistical probabilities to possible outcomes. Finally, he responded.

"My liege, while I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as your general, my systems indicate I would be better serving either on the field as an asset, not a commander; or perhaps bodyguard to Princess Leliana, to preserve the Pendragon bloodline."

Arthur pondered this a while, then happened upon what he believed to be a brilliant idea.

"What about this, Gawain? Lancelot normally attends to my daughter's protection. I think he wants to marry her, truth be told, but I feel he's too old for her, even if he is one of my closest friends. But I'm rambling now. What I am suggesting is that we ask Leliana. If she wants your guardianship, I will assign you to that. If she does not, you help lead the armies of Camelot. Are we in agreement?"

"Affirmative, my lord. Whatever Mistress Leliana decides, I will abide."

"Good. Now that's taken care of, shall we see to the interrogations?" the king asked.

Gawain nodded wordlessly and strode forward, opening the door for the king, ducking in behind him. The pair made their way past the thieves, rapists, and murderers who were in chains along the wall; the stench of human waste filling the air. Past that, they stopped at a massive wrought iron door blocked by two guards who creaked the large door open and waved them through. Only three people resided in this part of the dungeon, all of them traitors.

Gorm looked up from his stone bed at the pair now standing before him.

"Ah, finally come to visit? King Arthur and the walking siege tower! What can I do for you?" he sneered.

Arthur stepped forward with a very severe look on his face.

"I want to know who the Separatist leader is. But, we'll get to that. I'd have your name first, please."

"Commander Gorm of your so-called Separatist Forces, not at your service."

"Well, Gorm. I'd like to know the name and location of your leader."

"How d'you know you're not already talking to him? I am the Separatist leader! Me! I raised the army that nearly brought your kingdom to its knees. Would've won, if not for that wall with legs behind you."

Gawain stepped forward, "My voiceprint sensors indicate he's lying. He is not their leader. It is advised that we use more…direct interrogation methods."

"There will be none of that, Gawain. I will not have anyone tortured in my kingdom, even if he is a traitor."

"Traitor? I'm not even from these lands, you old fart! I can make good money killing people here. Ha ha haaa!" Gorm cackled maniacally.

"Perhaps your compatriot will be more talkative about this." The king said, "You! In the corner! The one who kidnapped my daughter! If you wish to avoid the headsman's axe, you would do well to tell me what I wish to know!"

The man, Pike, doesn't move. Gawain takes this opportunity to scan the unmoving prisoner. "My king, the man you asked that question of is deceased, he will be unable to answer. I also detect that our other prisoner, Commander Gorm, based on his lack of reaction, knew he was dead before you spoke to him."

Gorm just smiled and laid back on the rough stone bunk, put his hands under his head and said, "You can do whatever you want to me, I'll never talk! Sure, I killed poor Pikey over there. What're you going to do about it?"

Arthur stood there, contemplating what to do next. During that, Gawain walked into the cell and removed Pike's body and walked back out of the cell.

"Sire, perhaps Merlin will have a way to read his last thoughts and memories?"

"And how would he accomplish such a feat, Gawain?" Arthur queried.

"Unknown, my lord. He was able to give me life so my systems indicate a probability of 48%."

"I supposed that's good enough to give it a shot. Merlin always did like to poke around in people's corpses. No offense intended, Sir Gawain."

"Your statement was not offensive, sire. I know what I am."

The pair locked the cell back and left the dungeon, Arthur having ordered a sheet put over Pike's body along the way, so as not to alarm anyone. They walked back through the open courtyard and up the stone stairs into the citadel keep, down the stairs into the underground laboratory where Gawain was reborn.

Merlin's virtual intelligence activated and approached the two.

"So, what have you brought me?" the hologram asked.

"A corpse, as it were, Merlin. I believe I will let Gawain explain the circumstances."

Gawain relayed all the information they had gathered from Gorm and posited his question to Merlin. "Is it possible to bring him back as you did with me?"

"The problem with that, Gawain, is that this man is dead. When I went to bring you back, you were still alive, albeit mortally wounded. This, what you're asking of me, I cannot do."

"Then who can?"

"I can. Or at least, the real me. There is yet another chamber, deeper down, under this one. It will take three days to awaken me. My body is currently in cryostasis. Leave the body on that gurney over there and I will bring it down to the cryo-chamber to keep him from decaying any further than he already has."

A small floodlight came on, illuminating a small gurney on a motorized track, which Gawain stepped over to and deposited the lifeless, sheet-wrapped Pike onto it. The hologram's mobile display then wheeled over beside it. A few thin cables shot out from it and activated the motor and whirred to life.

Gawain and Arthur watched as Merlin disappeared behind what appeared to be a clean room door that opened with a sharp pneumatic hiss. From that point on, Merlin didn't say another word, just activated an internal elevator and descended into an unseen portion of the chamber.

"In my youth, I learned it's best not to question Merlin and just accept what he tells you. It appears we will have our answers in three days' time. I only pray, by that time, it isn't too late for Camelot and her people." The old king mused.

"I think we should have faith in him, sire. As I said earlier, he brought me back from the brink of death, surely he can glean some memories from a man not so far past."

"I suppose you're right, Gawain. Merlin has never led us too far astray. I shall trust in your faith in him, my knight. Now, shall we speak with my daughter about you potentially serving as her personal guard?"

Gawain nodded, bowed, and turned to the stairwell, awaiting the king. Arthur strode past him and headed back up the stairs. As they crested the landing and made their way out of the citadel, they were met by a messenger who informed the king of Lancelot's progress in his newly assigned duties. Arthur appeared to be satisfied by the update, as he nodded his assent and gave the boy a couple of gold coins for his trouble.

They continued down through the ancient stone hallways, moss creeping through the spaces in the high arched ceiling stones. They walked in silence to Leliana's chambers near her parents'. Once there, the king knocked for entry and the princess slowly opened the door to see who it was. She was startled to see both Gawain and her father at her door.

"Is something the matter, father? I was just about to have a bath drawn and get into bed."

"No, my dear, just one simple question and we will leave you to your evening ritual. Gawain here offered to take over as your personal guard. Now, I know that Sir Lancelot usually handles your protection and…"

Leliana cut him off. "I would love for Sir Gawain to be my champion! Lancelot, to be honest, makes me rather uncomfortable. He behaves as if we're betrothed, but I could not bear wedding a suitor so much older than myself. I apologize if those were your intentions, father."

"Of course not, my dear. I'm your father first, so it puts my mind at ease that you aren't interested in men my age." He allowed himself a small chuckle.

Gawain stepped forward, dropped to one knee, and swore his undying loyalty to her protection. Leliana graciously accepted his fealty. Then, the Green Knight stood, and they all said their goodbyes and goodnights. As Arthur and Gawain were walking away, the king turned to Gawain.

"Sir Gawain, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were sweet on my daughter. Am I wrong?"

"My lord, as far as I am aware, the emotional cortex of my brain is non-functional. This is what I have been told by Merlin. If memory serves, and it does, in my circumstance, my brain is now largely electronic, the details of which I cannot access. Only Merlin knows that for certain."

Arthur stopped speaking at that point, feeling supremely embarrassed and hoped he wouldn't get a headache from the paradoxical thinking.

Gawain and the king parted ways at the royal bedchamber door, Arthur thanked him for all that he had done for Camelot in just this one day. Gawain nodded and walked back down into the citadel chamber and sat back in the harness that had held him these last three decades.

He found himself lost in thought about how to best make use of himself. He knew that for all intents and purposes that he is immortal, and the thought frightened him a bit. It was at that moment he began to question many things. If the emotional cortex of his brain wasn't active, how could he be frightened? Machines aren't supposed to get frightened, he thought, and started questioning his sanity. This was quickly abandoned in favor of questioning his very existence. If he could feel, he must not be a machine, but if he was not a machine…what was he?


End file.
